Prone to Anger
by BKK
Summary: March 30: Chapter 6 added. After a mission stresses her, Wonder Woman takes some time away. Can her relationship with Batman survive the aftermath of the mission and her sudden disappearance?
1. Chapter 1

For those of you who read "Seven Days" (shameless plug! shameless plug!) while this story is not a sequel (in that the events are not related to anything that happened in Seven Days – that will happen someday), it does take place after those events.

Obviously, I do not own any of the Justice League characters nor am I profiting from their use for this little tale.

Review please, if you would like – I may not respond but I do read and consider all of them!

Chapter 1

_So scream you, out from behind the bitter ache_: Matchbox 20

She felt the anger coming. It was building along the edges of her mind and coloring her perspective of normal events. It had happened before but dealing with the Greek gods and a civil war had served to reset her and she had returned her normal self.

This time, unlike the last, she realized what was happening but that didn't mean she knew how to fix it.

It was morning. Wonder Woman had been asleep when disturbing dreams had jerked her awake. She was alone, in her room in the Watchtower. The room had little decoration but had a warm and feminine feeling to it. She didn't have a lot of visitors to the room – it simply wasn't large enough for entertaining, but it was a cozy place where she could spend time without feeling penned in.

She stood up and wrapped a dark blue silk robe over a nightgown in the same color and washed up in her bathroom. Some mediation and prayer was what she needed, she decided. She changed quickly into a pair of sweatpants and a tank top and pulled her hair into a long ponytail. She sat in the full lotus pose in front of her meditation area and just began to focus on the silence. After a few moments, she prayed to each of her goddesses – Hera, Athena and Aphrodite – giving each the respect and time that they required. Diana had learned from her infancy the importance of keeping the goddesses happy. Because of her strength, power and importance to the gods she knew she had an easier time than most dealing with the moods of the gods. However, an angry goddess was an enemy that no one could handle - not even one with the abilities of Wonder Woman.

She did feel better when she was finished. And, since she was dressed and ready for it, she slipped on some shoes and went for a workout.

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J'onn J'onzz and Superman were sitting together in the conference room. There was not a leadership meeting scheduled for several days but a mission had come up and staffing it was causing an issue. The conference room was a quiet place where the two could be pretty certain of privacy.

"It is not just her," J'onn J'onzz said softly. "I think an all-male team ought to be sent."

"But that hampers us," Superman said. "We are going to be on the planet, but we will be working independently of the government officials. As long as Batman is there to be the go-between between the League and the government, I think we ought to send the best members, regardless of gender."

"Usually I would agree," the Martian said. "However, I think the attitude towards females is such that all of our League members may have some difficulties, but the women even more so."

"Hey, I am not a fan of Dratrayan's attitude towards women either. But that is not what we are dealing with. We are keeping both sides of the war from getting access to planet-destroying weapons. That is our mission. It is a good mission even if we don't agree with the philosophy of the beings we are helping."

J'onn sighed. The problem was, of course, that they were both right. The mission was a good and necessary one, or they never would have agreed to go to the small planet. However, the planet's attitude towards women was, by the standards of majority of the Justice League members, backwards. To others, including one particular princess, it would be offensive and probably impossible to ignore. The problem was she was a logical member of the team – which was going to be large. And because of the numbers needed, while an all-male team would be possible, it was not optimal.

"We will make it part of the mission briefing and allow members to withdraw if they think it will cause them distress. That is the only thing we can do," J'onn said.

"No one is going to back out," Superman said firmly. J'onn nodded. He was right, no one would.

He wondered if that was the best thing for everyone involved.

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The transporter room was crowded. The team had been assembled and J'onn was in the process of giving the mission overview. It was a straight-forward mission. Before civil war broke out on Dratrayan, a fear of their planetary neighbors inspired them to build a collection of weapons designed to protect the planet in case of an attack. No external attack had ever come and, in fact, the weapons had inspired neighboring planets to enter into peace treaties. However, now there was an internal war and the same Dratrayan neighbors wanted the Justice League to remove and safely destroy the weapons. The Dratrayan government had agreed – the civil war was pulling the planet apart as it was, but those weapons could literally tear the planet apart and it didn't matter which side pulled the trigger. While leaders on both sides had promised to let the League do its job, there was every reason to believe that talking about removing the weapons had inspired both sides of the conflict to believe that they needed to get them.

The members understood. They had gone on similar although not identical missions before. They knew the drill and yes, usually at least one group of soldiers tried to keep the League from performing their duties.

"There is something about Dratrayan that you need to know," J'onn said. "The females on that planet are absolutely, in all ways, subservient to their males. Dratrayan males do not speak to females of any species except for their mate, who serves him completely. Although there are some social undercurrents to this civil war, that issue is not a major issue, however you may see signs of women being treated in a manner offensive to you. If you go, you must understand that while you need not agree with their customs, you must acknowledge that those customs exist. If you think that this will cause you difficulties, I am asking you to withdraw from the team now. It will not impact your standing among the League or for consideration for future assignments."

"Do they know women are coming?" Vixen asked.

"Yes, they do. Since they assure so that no one will be at the site other than us, they do not anticipate a problem," J'onn responded.

Diana could feel the other women's eyes looking at her, waiting to see what she did. She was going. No planet of small-minded males was going to keep her from a mission where she was needed. Nothing a man could do or say could deter her. That, frankly, would give them more power than they had any right to.

Batman, who was standing quietly next to Diana, stared at J'onn. There was something he wasn't telling them, the Dark Knight thought. Not about the mission, but about this male/female dynamic.

Everyone had gone to a planet where the natives held different beliefs and come away unscathed. On various worlds, he had been considered everything from food to a god and things in-between. This was the first time planet philosophy was part of the briefing.

He looked at Diana, who had lived in Man's World for years and had adjusted fairly well. He knew that she considered some men to be her equal. He wasn't certainly how she stood on the entire male population but then again, he wasn't sure how he felt about the entire human population either, so he never asked.

_So what exactly is happening on Dratrayan_?

There was no time to find out as J'onn dismissed the group. Those who needed them were to head for space craft. Those who could fly would lead the armada. But the bad feeling lingered in Batman's mind. In fact, perhaps a certain princess may need some time away from the League members afterwards, he thought darkly.

"Princess, a moment?" Batman said quietly as Diana turned to join Superman and the other flying heroes.

"Yes," she asked, working to maintain a safe distance from him. Batman, because of his nature, had a much easier time hiding their relationship from the League than Diana did. She understood his reasoning for keeping it secret but would have been happier celebrating it with her friends. And it seemed to her that she was often second-guessing herself making sure she wasn't acting like anything other than a team mate.

"Dinner after the mission?" he asked.

She stared at him, unable to answer. For him, such a question in public was completely out of character. She knew there was a reason why, but right then, she didn't care what it was. She was going to take it on face value.

She smiled.

"That would be great."

He nodded.

And with that, they prepared for the journey to Dratrayan.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_But you will come to a place/Where the only thing you feel/Are loaded guns in your face/And you'll have to deal with/Pressure_: Billy Joel

Dratrayan was a small planet. Closer to a moon in terms of its size, Diana immediately understood why a planetary civil war would be easy to wage. There were only a few land masses – all fairly close together. The rest of the planet was water. She knew, from the briefing, that the race they were dealing with was on land, but she was certain the water was also teaming with life.

As they entered the atmosphere, Superman began to bark out directions. "We are headed to the western land mass" he called. "There is a headland to the north with a bunker. Inside the bunker is what we've come for."

Diana nodded and the group – individuals and vehicles – adjusted their headings. Except Batman – his plane broke from the group and headed south for an entirely different land mass.

"How close are the vehicles going to land?" Green Lantern asked.

"Close enough," Superman answered with a grin. "They are big boys and girls – they can walk. Besides, depending on how much resistance we get, most of them may remain in the air."

They were close enough now that they could get a feel for the area. Diana looked and as far as she could see in every direction, the landscape was clear. Although there was some vegetation, there wasn't enough to hide a major fighting force.

"How much resistance are we really expecting?" Diana asked. She hated to admit that she had been looking forward to a fight and was a little disappointed that it looked like one might not be coming.

"I'm expecting some," Superman said. "Batman will tell the Dratrayan government that we are here. Between their army and the rebel army, who I am certain hears things quickly too, I think in a couple of hours, about the time we've got everything up from below ground, we will have one, and maybe two armies, who want to take the weapons off our hands. Then things will get interesting."

The flying League members landed in front of a one-story, 15-foot-tall bunker. It was metallic, grey and was clearly designed to keep people from being interested in it.

It took about 15 minutes for the entire group to gather and take stock of the building. When everyone seemed to be waiting for something to happen, Superman cleared his throat and assumed command.

"Atom? Where are you?" he called.

There was no audible answer but several seconds later, an empty space was filled by The Atom who was back to his full size. He waved casually.

"Okay, great," Superman said and looked at the rest of the group. "The weapons are about 100 feet under ground. We have not gotten a clear answer from the Dratrayans about the condition of these weapons, so Atom and I are going to get a feel for what is going on down there and then we will assign a team to help as needed. In the meantime, we have to assume that we are not going to be alone for long. Wonder Woman and Green Lantern will divide you all into two teams who will handle ground and air defense. Best case scenario, you are going to have a dull afternoon. However, there is a real chance that we will end up between two armies fighting each other and us, so stay sharp."

With that, and a motion to The Atom, Superman walked into the bunker. Diana smiled at Lantern and the two began dividing the group into teams. Lantern took the air defense and Diana covered the ground. Once everyone was in position, Diana flew so that she was next to Lantern.

"What actually do we know about these Dratrayans?" she asked keeping her eyes fixed on the land and water in front of her.

"They are amphibians although they spend a higher percentage of their lives out of the water than that term usually implies. They are usually tall – averaging between six and seven feet tall, with gills, webbed feet and a lean build. I haven't heard anything about them physically which suggests that there is going to be a surprise, if there is a fight."

Diana paused as she considered that.

"So, if you were an amphibian and you wanted to watch a group of land-dwellers without being noticed," she started.

"You would watch from the water," Lantern finished.

"And use that as your base of operations for any attack," she added. "Who do we have who is good underwater?"

"You, me, Vixen, Superman," he listed as he looked at the assembled group. "That is about it of this group. Well, depending on what toys Batman brought with him, whenever he gets back."

"That's enough I think," Diana responded. "I saw a lot of buildings and dwellings as we came in. I suspect they are usually near the water as opposed to in it." She smiled at him. "Shall I tell Vixen to stand closer to the shoreline, or do you want to?"

He looked at her and grinned. "Well, I would hate to tear you away from watching for Batman."

"I have no idea what you are talking about," she said blandly which was true. Batman could and, more importantly, would take care of himself. She hadn't been watching for him at all.

"No, neither of you do," he said with a wink and flew down to Vixen and explained the theory. She nodded and soon she and Fire had changed places.

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Superman and Atom had determined that the easiest way to disarm the weapons was for Atom to disconnect several wires and then let Superman remove and smash the main circuit board. Once that was done, each weapon was harmless. They had pulled in Diana to help with the board smashing and the small group had a smooth system going – The Atom would pull the boards out, one of the others would smash the board and then place the useless equipment in a pile outside where Fire would melt it down.

When Diana had first gone underground inside the bunker, she had been amazed by the size of the cave where the weapons where housed. About the size of a football field and about two-thirds filled with armaments, it was an impressive collection. They were moving quickly but after two hours passed, it seemed to Diana that only a small dent had been made in the collection.

In fact, she was about to suggest that they recruit someone to help The Atom disconnect the wires when she heard the faint muffled sounds of weapons fire and shouting from above ground. She looked up.

"They've come!" she shouted, crushing the board in her hand and grabbing the missile for a flight to Fire. She was ready – the adrenaline started surging through her at even the faint sound of battle. Superman looked at her and realized that while she would stay, she would better serve the effort above ground.

"Go!" he shouted and tossed her the missile and board he had just completed with. "Send Fire down here after she finishes with those – she can do her part below ground."

"Right!" Diana shouted back and flew to join the battle.

Fire was standing next to the bunker, melting the missiles and acting as if there was not a battle less than 50 feet from where she was standing. Diana admired her focus and told her that when she gave her the last two missiles and relayed the new instructions. She and Fire were not close but Diana did feel part of her task as a founder was to mentor the new and younger members – something she didn't do as actively as she should but it was important to her. When Fire smiled and nodded at her comments, Diana knew the little things often had the biggest impact.

Diana estimated that about 400 Dratrayan soldiers were fighting their way towards the bunker. As she and Lantern had suspected, 300 of them were pouring in from the water – complete with vehicles and other equipment. The other quarter were coming from the land side. The Justice League members were surrounded.

Lantern was yelling directions at the group, stressing the importance of not fighting a civil war while using his ring to push the soldiers back into the water. Diana looked for a spot where she was needed and found a weak spot in the League line near one of the shore lines. She flew in and engaged a tank looking vehicle. She flew to the top, ripped it off and looked at the three soldiers inside the tank.

"Get out," she said sternly.

The soldiers stared at her in horror.

_Oh Hera, _she thought, irritated. _They don't think I ought to speak to them._

"Get out because I am going to pick this up and throw it into the ocean," she said hoping that the clarification would inspire movement.

Still, no motion. But they clearly looked insulted.

"Stupid, stupid males," she said and grabbed the three men by their uniform collars and tossed them onto the beach. Then, as she said, she picked up the tank and threw it back into the ocean. The three soldiers, once they recovered from both being tossed and watching their tank disappear under the water, pulled out handguns and began firing at Diana who repelled the bullets with her bracelets. One of the soldiers, whose uniform was more decorated than the others, turned to look at the other Dratrayan men in the area.

"This woman spoke to us! And touched us! Help us punish her!" he screamed.

Diana rolled her eyes but then watched as several soldiers broke off their attacks with other League members to fight Wonder Woman. Before long, she realized that she fighting a dozen soldiers. It wasn't a problem for her and it did allow the other League members to take care of other weak areas.

The anger began to build inside her. She was enjoying the fight – she was having no problems holding her own – but the anger of the soldiers' insult was obvious and enraged her. How dare they? Who exactly did they think they were thinking she was beneath them? After a few moments, the anger got too much – she flew in and picked up the soldiers in both hands and threw them into the ocean.

Then, feeling satisfied by the results, she moved to the next tank and tried a similar tactic. Although instead of throwing the soldiers on the beach, she tossed them in the ocean and just make she aimed the tank in a different part of the water.

"Wonder Woman! What are you doing?" Lantern hollered as he caught a tank as it left her hands and put it back on the beach. "We can't change the balance of power in this civil war!"

"The tanks came out of the water – they can certainly handle going back there!" she yelled back, without turning to face him.

"Not through the air!" Lantern retorted.

She turned around so that she was looking straight at him. "Are you telling me what to do?" she said, softly. It was a tone that Lantern had never heard before but the barely contained violence behind it frightened him for a moment.

"Dammit, Diana, you know I'm not. Just get your head back in the game and forget about what these turkeys say to you!"

She growled and flew to another pocket but she did let the tanks stay on the ground.

The battle raged for a while. The Dratrayan army – the League still didn't know if it was the rebel army or the government forces – seemed to grow in number, despite being continually repelled by the League. Lantern continued to advise not doing too much damage to the attackers and on several occasions stopped Diana from destroying machinery. They were spending way too much glaring at each other, he thought, for the two team leaders outside the bunker.

_What the hell is going on with her?_ he thought.

Superman and Fire flew out of the bunker holding piles of molten missiles. "We're done! They are all gone!" he shouted.

Those words had a magic impact on the Dratrayan army. They immediately retreated into the ocean. Within minutes, the beach was quiet and the League members were alone.

Lantern and Diana flew over to where Superman had landed. A moment later, they saw Batman walk from the other direction. Diana had not seen his arrival at the bunker but was glad to see that he was clearly unhurt.

"That was too easy," Batman said.

"It was only one army," Lantern said in agreement.

"The rebel army," Batman acknowledged.

"Well, then there are more weapons," Diana said. "That is the only answer. If you know where your enemy is going to be and when, you don't keep away, unless you have something more important to protect."

The men nodded in agreement. Superman turned towards Batman. "You spoke to the government officials. Any ideas?"

"They assure me there is nothing beyond what was in the bunker," he answered. "I didn't believe them then. I need to talk to them more."

"How? We need to leave once we are done here," Superman asked.

Batman looked mildly pained. "I was invited to a celebration dinner. Well, actually my mate and I were invited to a celebration dinner. Is Fire the only one who knows how to take the missiles apart?"

"Actually," Superman said. "Wonder Woman knows how to take them apart. Fire just melted them."

Batman looked at Diana. "Dinner?"

Diana considered. Even an evening being publicly affectionate did not seem appealing considering the dinner guests. She nodded. "All right," she said darkly.

"Are you sure you can handle it," Lantern asked. He didn't want to make too much of her earlier activity, but he really did doubt her control.

"Yes," she said. "I can."

"Great!" Superman said. "You and Batman can attend the celebration party and figure out where the additional weapons are. The Atom will teach you about the wiring before we go. Good thing women are welcome to celebration parties."

"I have to go from here for some Lantern Corp business," Lantern said with a barely contained grin at the situation. "I'll be by here in about three days. I can swing by and help you both out if I haven't heard you have returned to the Watch tower."

"All right," Superman said. "Well, find the rest of the weapons and take them apart and we'll see you back at the Watch tower."

An hour later, Batman and Wonder Woman were standing alone on the beach.

"Well mate," Diana said with a grin. "Shall we go to dinner?


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_I'm just a girl/Guess I'm some kind of freak/'Cause they all sit and stare/With their eyes:_ No Doubt

The Dratrayan government was housed in what looked to have been, historically, a castle of some sort. The turrets were rounded on top, in contrast to the Earth European model of castle, but the building clearly was designed for both defense and intimidation. Some landscaping over the years had softened the level of intimidation. To enter the building, the two League members walked along a bridge that spanned a long pond, complete with the Dratrayan version of water lilies.

They were not alone. There were dozens of pairs walking along the same bridge – usually more than one pair walking together. The men were speaking to each other and the women were silent, walking a few feet behind the men and looking at the ground in front of them.

Diana and Batman made a fierce contrast – even the difference in species was not as different as the two of them walking side-by-side and speaking to each other. Diana's chin was held high and she walked with her usual confidence. Batman noticed the huge difference and realized that, perhaps, Diana needed to know what he had learned during his meeting earlier.

"About this dinner," he started. "You aren't going to like it."

Diana smiled. "That is exactly a news flash."

"Here's the thing. The reason you are here at all is because the Dratrayan women serve the men. You will be sitting literally below me and will be expected to hand plates up to me. You will get your own plate but it won't be close to what I'm eating, quality-wise." He didn't look at her, he just kept on walking. He did notice, out of the corner of his eye, that Diana had stopped and was staring at him as if waiting for the punch line.

"You're not kidding," she said, stunned.

"No."

"Are we the only non- Dratrayan people here?" she asked hopefully. If not, maybe the gender rules would relax a little. Or at least, she wouldn't be the only one who didn't know them.

"Yes. It is a celebration of the disarmament but representatives of the neighboring planets are staying away until the war is over. Don't want to back the wrong side."

She exhaled loudly, clearly in disgust. Batman did stop then but he didn't look at her.

"If you can't do this, I need to know now," he said simply.

A voice in Diana's head screamed at her to take the out. There was another way, probably a faster way, to figure out where the rest of the weapons were hidden. They could still have a quiet dinner on their own somewhere and then, after the celebration, they could find someone and convince him to tell them the location of the weapons. Quick, easy and painless.

But pride wouldn't let her. It would mean failing Batman and that was something that she simply wouldn't do. The soldiers on the beach had gotten to her and she shouldn't have allowed that. It really was weakness on her part. She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. She could do this. She would focus on the mission.

"Of course I can do this." She smiled and her tone lightened as she walked to catch up with him. "Am I going to need to cut up your meat for you too?"

"If you're lucky," he said with a hint of a smile.

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Diana was used to turning heads. She had been raised as a princess, so growing up, people looked at her and since coming to Man's World, she had realized that between her armor and her appearance, people were curious. She was, however, used to it being a positive thing.

So, when the wall of angry muttering and sudden stares welcomed her when she and Batman entered the banquet hall, she was not certain how to react. She had, in a sign of support to the mission, dropped a few feet behind Batman but she hadn't bowed her head and had no intention of doing so.

_It's a cocktail party from hell_, Batman thought looking at the dozens of individuals standing in circles and holding drinks stopped talking in order to express their concern over the Amazonian princess who had strutted in half-dressed. He glared at all of them, stepped smoothly in front of Diana and crossed his arms across his chest. The message could not have been clearer. He may relate to the bat, but that didn't mean he couldn't play alpha dog when the moment came. Thankfully, Diana let him.

"Are you pounding your chest," she whispered with a barely-suppressed giggle.

He ignored her. But he was becoming concerned. She was alternating between rage and amusement at a frightening pace. Amusement sounded better although Batman was fairly certain that the rage was still there, not too far under the surface.

It was a feeling he understood all too well.

The silent face-off continued for a couple of seconds before a Dratrayan, the best-dressed Dratrayan in the room, walked over to Batman.

"Batman! I thought you weren't coming. I am so glad you changed your mind," he said and clapped him on the shoulder. The Dark Knight was able to stop himself from stiffening at the contact but he did glare at General Clousng. Batman knew he ought to be grateful for the intervention, but not enough to be touched by a virtual stranger who he was quite certain was lying to him.

But, as if someone had waved a magic wand, the conversations around them started again.

"Of course," he answered.

"How did everything go at the bunker," the general asked. He was tall – even for a Dratrayan and Batman found himself looking up in order to meet his eye. He was dressed in what the Dark Knight presumed to be a military dress uniform – complete with badges and metals of various kinds. Batman indulged himself for a moment with a thought about no matter what planet he visited, the military dress uniforms seemed to all look terribly uncomfortable.

"Successful. Your bunker is weapon-free."

"Excellent! Excellent! Then let's celebrate," he said and turned to the crowd.

"The Justice League has destroyed the weapons!" he shouted.

The answered cheers were, to Batman's ear, so enthusiastic that any doubts he had about additional weapons fled.

"Not only are there more, they are close," Diana whispered to him, echoing his thoughts almost exactly.

He nodded. And felt both a wave of relief and affection. She may be having issues, but she was focused on the mission. The rest of it they would handle later.

General Clousng motioned towards Batman. "Now, let's eat in celebration of the disarmament and our guest of honor, Batman."

The applause was polite but that was about the most that could be said for it.

General Clousng smiled at Batman. "Forgive them. Most of these people have never been off-world. It is inconceivable to them that there might be a different way of living. Let's get you seated – you can sit next to me – that will be more comfortable for you."

Batman fell into step next to the general and let him lead them to the tables.

They were taken to a huge room that reminded Batman of what an ancient Viking hall must have looked like in all its glory. The room was nearly a perfect rectangle, bordered by a similar water feature to that outside. In a U-shape, there was a ten-foot tall wooden structure – the top of which was set for dining. About half-way up the structure was a foot-wide slit, through which he could see a chair.

_Hera, help her_, he thought as they walked along the other side of the structure.

It was a two-level table. The male diners walked up some steps and sat in chairs at the top. The females sat in the chairs along the slit. Clearly, the food was delivered there. Finally, along the head of the table, the general paused and waved his hand towards a chair.

"There you are," he said and started up the stairs for the neighboring chair. The general's female was already in place at the lower location.

He let Diana get into position first and then, on his way to his own place, gave her shoulder a squeeze. She smiled back at him.

The smile didn't reach her eyes and for some reason, it bothered him. Profoundly. He had actively avoided considering his feelings for Diana, preferring to just let things happen with as much detachment as Diana would let him get away with. Alfred would have said that Bruce was so afraid of pain that he was sacrificing happiness and he would secretly agree. But at that moment, standing with each foot on a different stair, he wanted to do whatever it took to make her happy because it hurt him to see her any other way.

He had no idea what to do about it.

Diana coughed loudly, tilted her head and gave him a look that said _what's going on?_ He shook his head to clear it and smiled – a real, full Bruce Wayne smile - at her.

"You're amazing" he whispered and finished getting to his chair.

He didn't turn around to see her response. In case he had failed.

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As expected, females served the food. Diana smiled at them and tried to be pleasant, but they all but ignored her. She assumed that these women were the mates of the people who made the food, but she had no way of knowing that.

She took advantage of her situation and listened to as many of the conversations above her as possible. Most were discussing the civil war and did seem to think that the government forces would be triumphant; however there were no specifics as to why. She looked around at the size of the room and suddenly, she knew the answer.

The next time a server came to her, she whispered. "I need to go to the restroom. Where might I find one?"

That question the server was willing to answer. She sent Diana a short distance outside of the main room. Diana thanked her as she took the plate and handed it up to Batman before slipping away.

The restroom was a tiny room with no decoration at all – something she was not used to but it didn't surprise her. It was clean however, which was all that mattered. Besides, she just needed a place out of the way. She activated her communicator.

"Batman, you need to find out what is under the hall. The bunker covered a huge open area with the weapons. I suspect that we actually are sitting over the additional weapons. It isn't as big as the bunker area, but if we are sitting over caves, it could hide a lot. I'll be back in a moment," she said, deactivated the communicator.

She slid back to her seat when she heard Batman through the communicator.

"My home on Earth, which we were discussing earlier," he said, clearly to the general, "has a hall in it although only a fraction of the size of this. The reason the room was built where it was is because the house is actually built over a series of caves and one of the larger open caves is under the hall. I was wondering if something similar was at work here."

"That's it exactly," the General said. "In fact, in ancient times, when small groups ruled difference parts of our planet, this fortress was built because in case of a land attack, the inhabitants could escape through the caves and into the ocean and, in case of an ocean attack, they could escape across the land. I don't know that anyone goes down into the caves anymore."

"Naturally. Times are more civilized now," Batman said. "So, how did the small groups eventually merge under one government? That must be fascinating."

The communicator clicked off as the General discussed the unification of Dratrayan.

Diana spent the rest of the banquet narrowing down places where the access to the caves might be and counting the minutes until she and Batman could go exploring.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_Get a good running start and hurl myself at the wall/Going to hurl myself against the wall_: Warren Zevon

By pretending to be "overwhelmed," Diana had managed to get them a room for the evening so as not to alarm anyone when they were roaming around the castle.

She had overheard one of the diners telling an off-color story about a celebrity and an embarrassing incident in one of the bedrooms on the top floor and she took her chance that "weak females" could get access to one. Using some of the knowledge she had gained from Jane Austin novels, she waited until Batman had left the table and then stood up awkwardly. She said "my, it is warm in here," before swooning into his arms.

Batman had been a little suspect as Diana had never, to his knowledge, used "my" in that context, let alone faint, but played along, gently placing her on the ground and making a show of checking her vitals.

She counted to thirty and then opened her eyes.

"Oh husband," she said in a quiet voice mixed with horror and shame. "I have humiliated you. I beg your forgiveness."

He looked at her as if he suspected body snatching but caught on.

"No, darling, no," he said gently, stroking the top of her head as if she was a small child. "There is nothing to forgive. You just need to rest. I've asked too much of you today."

General Clousng, as if he too was part of the act, offered a bedroom on the top floor and immediately asked his wife to see to the preparations. Diana noted with disgust that she just turned around to one of the serving women watching the farce and asked her to make sure the room in question was prepared.

The general turned to Batman. "Come with me. I'll show you the room. Others will see to your wife," he said.

As he spoke, two women appeared and helped Diana to her feet and walked at her side, clearly awaiting another fall. Diana "stumbled" a few times but made sure that they got to the room without further incident.

The bedroom was simple but clean and attractive. There was a large bed situated between two windows. The bed linens, walls, drapes and throw pillows were in cream. In fact, the only color came from tapestries that hung on the wall. There were two large and comfortable chairs along one side with a small table in-between. Located in one corner was a small door that Diana presumed led to a private bathroom.

The women made sure that Diana was sitting in one of the chairs before leaving the room. Batman waiting several minutes after the general and the women had taken their leave before speaking.

"The door. Outside the banquet hall behind one of those tapestries?" he asked.

"Probably," she answered.

They waited for darkness to fall and passed the time planning about the best way to find the door, the fastest way to destroy the weapons and how to get off the planet without anyone figuring out what had happened.

As they were about to leave the room, Diana smiled at Batman.

"You realize that the banquet did not count as dinner after the mission, right?" she asked.

"Mission's not over," he answered and disappeared out the door and into the shadows.

-------------------------------

The door was behind the third tapestry they looked behind. It was an old wooden door and Diana had no problems removing it from its hinges. On the other side of the door were darkness and the sound of water lapping a distance away. Silently, Batman handed Diana a tiny flashlight and flipped his own on. There was a twenty-foot path and then a dramatic drop-off. At the end of the path were several torches, which they lit. Carved into the side of the cliff were hand and foot holds – clearly designed for sudden escapes. Diana walked to the edge of the cliff and flew down slowly, stopping at every cave entrance to look for the weapons.

At last she found them and activated the communicator.

"I'm about thirty feet down," she told him.

"I'm behind you," came the response in her ear.

"I hate when you do that," she said softly.

"I know," he said and quickly kissed her neck. "Let's go."

It was very similar to the layout from the bunker. The cave was open and, once they found and lit the torches, fairly well lit. There were fewer weapons than what was in the bunker but they were the same time.

Batman deftly removed the wiring from the first and turned to Diana. "Since we aren't melting these, we can leave the boards in, but when you crush them, there may be some sparks."

"All right," she said, standing the missile upright and pushing it in from the top as if it was an empty aluminum can.

For several hours, they worked only to the sound to the destruction. Finally, Diana smashed the last one and flew out from a tall pile. She was flush from the work but for the first time since leaving Earth, she was happy. That, for her, had been fun.

They divided the rest of the caves and after a while, felt confident that they had managed to get rid of all the weapons. When they returned to the door behind the tapestry, the castle was still silent, but the sun was rising. Diana replaced the door and the two crept quietly outside.

They were only a short distance from the Batplane when they heard footsteps. They ducked behind some shrubs and watched as four soldiers were marching with one female walking free and three chained together by the waists.

Diana started to stand up but Batman grabbed her shoulder.

"We have no idea what is going on," he warned.

"Only one way to find out," she said and began following the group.

She had seen the small, squat brick building outside the castle on their way in but had not given it any thought. It clearly was where the group was headed. They walked in silence. Diana kept herself hidden as she attempted to see what the crime was.

When they reached the building, the group stopped. Diana found a tree that gave her a clear sight of what was happening but blocked her from their view.

One of the males unlocked the door and turned to the free female.

"Tell them," he said firmly.

The free female turned to the women. "Your mates have joined the rebellion and have abandoned you. Tomorrow, we will make you available for loyal men to see if one will have you. If not, you will be put to death and your body will be delivered to the rebels as a message to them."

The three women said nothing and walked into the brick building.

Diana was prepared to charge when she felt Batman behind her.

"Princess," he said gently.

His word choice and tone told her that she wasn't going to like the next words he said. So, she decided not to let him say them.

"I am freeing those women," she said firmly. "You can join me or you can head back to Earth. Choose now."

He said nothing and stayed still. She waited until the guards were gathered around the side of the building. The female had sat down against a wall.

Batman had been about to ask what the plan was when Diana flew across the field and at the door. She pulled the door off in a single motion and, when the guards ran towards her, used it like a bat and swung them several feet through the air. The female stood up and ran towards the men, but got out of the way when the door sailed through the air towards them.

Batman pulled the door off of them and tied them up.

After letting go of the door, Diana disappeared into the building. There was the sound of breaking chains.

"Where?" he heard one of the women asked.

_Oh no, _he thought and ran to the doorway of the building. There were several coats along the wall, a toilet and sink, Diana, the three women and nothing else.

"Back to your homes," Diana responded.

"But our men are gone."

"Then go to your families," Diana said, her tone getting rougher.

"Our families? Without our men?"

"How," Diana asked, nearly in a shriek. "How are you unable to function without men? Why did you give them your power? Why did you give that up? You have intelligence, grace, compassion and strength. Use them! How could you let yourself be given from one man to another like a pair of used shoes?"

The women were clearly frightened by the Amazonian warrior, who in her rage was hovering a few inches off the ground. One, however, spoke.

"We have no power. We never did. There was none to give up. We are going to stay here. We will get new husbands and be happy again."

Diana looked at them. "Get out," she said in a barely contained rage.

They did. Seconds after the third cleared the door, Diana threw herself through two of the building's support columns and through a wall. The building collapsed. All the Dratrayans, who were all together now, shouted. Batman stood between them and the remains of the building, stunned at what he was witnessing.

Diana, who seemed to forget that Batman was there, walked over to them. Her eyes were ice cold and her face was set firmly. Her fists were clenched. She picked up the three guards by the rope Batman had used and held them several inches off the ground.

"Remember this day," she said. "This is the day you learned that you are nothing. You have stolen the power from my sisters, a crime that your entire planet is guilty of. I would kill you but I want you to tell the others. I want you to remember your humiliation as you realize your own insignificance and your stupidity. I want you to remember that women saw you and they _will remember._"

She threw them into the remains of the building. The females screamed at Diana looked at them.

"Sisters, you have ignored your destiny. You have ignored your essence and you have allowed males to rule over you. Remember. Remember that one of your sisters stood up to these men and they could do nothing to stop her. In fact, they were _afraid._"

She took another step toward them and the women all cowered together.

_This needs to end_, Batman thought and closed the distance between the two of them.

"Princess!" Batman barked, hoping to distract her.

"It's under control," she said, her eyes glued to the women.

"No. No it's not," he said, his tone matching hers.

She stopped and turned to look at him. He could nearly feel her rage and disgust rolling off her in waves.

"Let them find their way alone," he said calmly.

Her expression remained the same and she looked at the ruins of the building and the group of soldiers lying unconscious among the bricks. Then she turned to look at the women who were still clutching to each other as if they were drowning. But when she looked back at Batman, she was stunned and clearly terrified of what she had done. He stepped forward to take her into his arms and comfort her, but before he could touch her, she whispered.

"Oh Hera."

And trembling slightly, she looked at him, sobbed and took to the air.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

_I think I've already lost you/I think you're already gone_: Matchbox 20

He waited 30 minutes before he tried her on the communicator. He tried the communicator six times always five minutes apart before he gave up and went to the Batplane.

The Dratrayans had fled not long after Diana left. He had let them – they had gone through enough. And he was too tired to deal with them anyway.

He knew that he should be taking the hint when Diana didn't answer her communicator, but rather than return to the Manor and get some sleep before his patrol, he decided to go back to the Watchtower and try to talk to her in person. The image of her expression as she flew away was too strong. He wouldn't sleep anyway without some answers.

When Superman met him when he landed at the Watchtower, he groaned. The Man of Steel was standing at his full height, with his arms crossed over his chest. The Man of Steel was annoyed. He matched Batman's mood perfectly.

"What happened?" Superman asked.

"The weapons were destroyed. The mission was a success," he answered. "Where's Diana?"

"That I know. What happened to Diana?

"What did she say?"

"Nothing. Which is why I am asking you."

Batman waited a beat. "Where's Diana?"

Superman sighed. The two of them could have a battle of the wills for days but it would get neither of them anywhere. And Clark knew, he would going to have to be the one to bend first. "She came here, told J'onn and I that she needed a few days off. J'onn gave her a week. I have never seen her like that. She was, I don't know, frightened and angry and distracted. J'onn told me she was herself though. What happened?"

"You let her go?" Batman was thunderstruck. He couldn't imagine the two of them seeing her in that condition and then letting her go off alone. No matter what she had asked.

He walked past Superman and began to walk towards Diana's quarters.

_Be here, _he thought. _I'm not that far behind you._

Superman fell into step besides him.

"You haven't answered my question," Superman said.

"I know the feeling," Batman bit back.

"Bruce, she's okay," Superman's tone was gentle. However, rather than provide the comfort that he thought Batman needed, it had the exact opposite effect. "She is going to take some time away from all of this. J'onn seems to think that she'll burn through whatever the anger is and she has gotten this angry before. He seems to think that she just needs some time away. That Man's World is draining her."

"Got that. Where is she?"

Batman stopped in front of Diana's room and began typing numbers into the control panel.

"You know her code?" Superman asked, stunned.

"Master override," Batman responded as the door opened.

Diana wasn't in there. Her armor, boots, lasso and tiara were there, neatly folded on top of a chest at the end of her bed. The closet doors were opened and there were several empty hangers – although there were a couple of formal dresses hanging neatly. There were spaces on her bookshelves where she had clearly taken some and her communicator was one of the few items on her vanity. Clearly, she had packed and left.

Batman picked up the communicator and showed it to Superman.

"One more time, Kent. Where is she?"

"She asked me not to tell."

That froze Batman's blood but he made a show of putting the communicator back so Superman wouldn't see his expression. "Me? Or anyone?"

Superman snorted. "Get over yourself. She doesn't want anyone to know."

"Except you."

"I gave her some ideas, since where she needs to go, home, isn't an option for her. She needs some time away from people, especially men."

That was the opening Batman had been waiting for.

"She should never have been on that team," he said bluntly.

"We needed her. And she knew the situation before she went."

"We could have done it without her."

"Well, next time you can tell her that."

"I will," Batman said darkly.

Superman smiled. "Can I be there when you tell her?"

Batman just walked past him and out of Diana's quarters. He was done. He needed to go back to the Manor and get some rest before patrol. He was looking forward to patrol – it gave him a chance to think through things and he really needed to do some thinking.

"Bruce," Superman called before Batman got too far down the hall. "What happened?" There was a pause as Superman clearly was deciding how much to say. His next words were quiet. "She said she thought she had killed three Dratrayans."

Batman stopped. Diana was entitled to her privacy. However, she needed to be spared that rumor.

"No. She didn't," he said without turning around.

He could almost feel the wave of relief poor off the Man of Steel.

-------------------------------

Batman woke from his nap and shook his head.

"Bruce, you're an idiot sometimes," he said to the empty room.

He knew exactly where Kent had sent Diana.

_Clever boy scout_, he thought and got up to ready himself for his patrol.

-------------------------------

Diana knocked on the door and waited, holding onto her duffel bag. She looked out from off the porch at the acres of land. Clark was right – it did seem like there was no one around for miles.

The door was opened by a slender, elderly woman with grey hair and an aura of peace. She was dressed simply – a pair of tan pants, a blue cotton T-shirt and brown sandals. She smiled at Diana.

"Martha Kent?" Diana asked gently.

"Yes. Diana? Come on in," the woman said in a friendly voice and pulled the door open completely.

Diana stepped into the house and stopped. Martha continued walking towards the kitchen.

"Just drop your bag anywhere, we'll get it to your room after a while," she said. "Do you want some iced tea? Are you hungry at all? Come on into the kitchen and rest a bit."

Diana walked through and into the bright kitchen. She sat down on a stool as Martha handed her a glass of iced tea.

"Thank you," Diana said simply.

Martha smiled and sat down next to her.

"So, I have the guest room upstairs for you but Clark told me that you needed some time away from people. I can put you into the barn – Clark's room is there and he likes staying there still when he comes home if the weather is nice. I didn't know how away from people you needed to be but I thought staying in Clark's room might feel strange."

Diana nodded. She thought of Clark as a brother and realized that sleeping in his bed would be uncomfortable.

"The room upstairs would be perfect. Thank you for letting me stay with you. Let me know what I can do to help. Clark says you always have a million things that need to be done when he comes home."

Martha laughed. "Only because he would be crushed if I didn't. There is plenty you can do if you want but nothing that has to be done and farm chores are not a requirement of your staying here." Her face grew serious.

"I have one question though. Are people going to be coming for you? How secret does your visit need to be?"

Diana smiled. Only Superman's mother would think of that. She wondered for a moment what raising him must have been like.

"Oh, you are in no danger. Tell anyone you want that I am here and who I am."

Martha was visibly relieved. "Okay. Should I expect friends to come by?"

Diana had a moment of longing for Batman. Despite Clark's promise to keep her location quiet, she knew the Dark Knight would figure out where she was – it was a piece of information he would want. But she also knew that between his distaste for metapowers and her actions on Dratrayan, he would have no interest in seeing her. But she would deal with that upon her return.

"No. No visitors at all," she said and drank her tea.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

_I ain't missing you at all/Since you've been gone/Away/I ain't missing you/No matter/What I might say_: John Waite

The first day for Diana was the worst. After iced tea, Diana had gone to her room, sat down and stared out the window. Finally, Martha convinced her to explore the Kent farm while Martha went to town for some supplies. Quietly, Diana had obeyed.

When Martha returned, Diana was sitting on the porch swing, but not swinging. Martha got out of her truck with her couple of bags and greeted Diana, an action that was met with a nod.

Martha walked into the house and Diana followed. The older woman hit the button on her answering machine while she tried to figure out how she was going to get through to this quiet, depressed princess, who was standing about a foot behind her.

"Ah, hi, Mom and Diana," Clark's recorded voice said. "I don't know if this should be left on a tape or not, but who knows what you crazy ladies are up to. And this is important. Okay, well, sorry if this is somehow inappropriate, but Diana, I still don't know what happened on your mission but I do know that _everyone is okay_. So you didn't. I hope that makes sense. If not, call me back. Mom has my number. Okay, have fun. Love you, Mom! Miss you both! Bye!"

The change was instant. Once the message ended, Diana closed her eyes. _"Oh thank Hera"_ she whispered. She stood there silently for a moment with her eyes closed, but she began to smile. When she opened her eyes, there were tears in them but the smile was still broad.

"Oh, thank Hera!" she shouted merrily and hugged Martha.

Martha accepted the hug and found herself laughing. "Oh wait," she said as the machine beeped again. "Another one."

There was no one speaking during this message, although after a couple of seconds, Diana could have sworn she heard a voice she recognized in the background say "Tea for you, sir?" before the line went dead.

Diana laughed again, confusing Martha even more. But Martha didn't care. Whatever those messages were about, the healing of Wonder Woman had begun.

-------------------------------

Diana had gone to the phone late that night. Although Martha had told her she could call anyone she wanted, she wanted to do this privately.

Alfred Pennyworth answered the phone on the second ring. "Wayne residence," he said clearly.

"Alfred, it's Diana. How are you?"

"Better for hearing your voice. How are you, madam?"

Diana laughed. "You are never just going to call me Diana, are you?"

"I suspect not."

"Fine, but you should. Well, I wanted to leave a message for Bruce. I am sure he knows where I am, but I wanted to give him the number here. I don't have my communicator so this is the only way to reach me."

"Of course, madam. I will take the information when you are ready."

Diana quickly read the phone number, which was written on the phone.

"Alfred, how is he?"

"I believe I can safely say that while Master Bruce is well, he will be better once he gets this message."

"Tell him," she paused, not sure of what to say. "Tell him I'm sorry. And I miss him."

"Very good, madam."

"Good night, Alfred."

"Good night," he answered and they both hung up.

-------------------------------

Diana spent the next several days tagging along behind Martha like a new puppy. They spent time planting and wedding in the garden. They went to town to run errands, they cooked and baked and they spent lots of time just chatting. Martha told some stories about Clark's youth, but otherwise, the topics of men and the Justice League were avoided through some unspoken agreement.

After four days, she had slipped into a relaxing routine that she was enjoying. In fact, she had managed to put all her problems out of her mind when she came downstairs one morning and heard Martha on the phone in the kitchen.

"I think she is doing great," she said, followed by a pause. "No, I'm not going to do that."

There was another pause and Martha got a bemused look on her face.

"Asking me the same thing a different way to get a different answer has never worked. It isn't now," she said gently.

Diana went into the living room and pretended to read a magazine while continuing to listen in on the phone call. She had no reason to know for sure, but she suspected that her hostess was talking to her son. It was something in Martha's tone that reminded Diana of how her mother would speak to her.

"I understand completely. I just don't care. You asked me to help her relax and that is what I am doing."

Martha laughed. "Well, someone there should be able to teach you a scary voice. What about Batman? Certainly he has a tone that would work."

She laughed again. "You do that, darling." She paused, clearly listening. "I love you too. Good bye."

Martha hung up the phone and went to sit down next to Diana.

"Clark is worried about you," she said.

Diana smiled. "I am all right," and for the first time in what seemed like ages, it really was true.

Martha smiled back. "I know and I told him. He wants me to find out what happened on that mission and report back to him. I won't do that. But I do want to ask you this instead. I want you to make sure that you are here because you need a break and not because you are hiding from everyone. I love having you here, but if you are hiding from your life, it will find you and make you deal with it eventually."

Diana didn't answer, in part because she wasn't sure what the answer was. Martha smiled and patted her hand. "Come on then, you can come to my aerobics class."

"Aerobics?" Diana asked.

Martha smiled. "You'll love it."

-------------------------------

"Good morning, Alfred," Bruce said as the butler opened his bedroom door and walked in with the normal tray of coffee and the newspaper.

"Good morning, sir," Alfred answered, handing him a small card. "I have your schedule for you as well."

He looked at the schedule. Usually, there were several Wayne Enterprises meetings and other related functions. But the card Alfred had given him was open until a dinner reception. The law of averages said it had happened before, but Bruce couldn't remember the last time.

"Alfred, I have a very empty day today," he said mildly.

"Yes, sir, I had noticed that myself. If you wanted to travel somewhere this morning, you would have plenty of time."

Bruce cocked an eyebrow at him. "I can't think of anywhere I want to go."

"Indeed, sir? It was only a suggestion."

Bruce looked at Alfred and decided to cut to the chase.

"I saw the message Alfred. But she needs time. I am giving it to her," he said gently, but firmly.

"Very good, sir," Alfred said.

There were two expressions that Alfred used that made Bruce feel like he was ten years old and had done something foolish. One was "indeed, sir" and the other was "very good, sir," although the later had to be delivered in just the right tone. It was the tone being used now.

"What would you have me do, Alfred? Fly to Smallville, go to the Kent farm and say 'hey, babe, I know you needed time away from everything, but I know you didn't mean me. Let's find a hayloft and make up for lost time'?"

"Certainly not, sir."

Make that three expressions that made Bruce feel like he was ten years old.

"I would hope," Alfred continued, "that you would handle the situation with tact and care. If I may suggest, the princess may need some reassurance from you that her behavior has not damaged your relationship. If that is indeed the case."

"No, Alfred. She flew off and left me. She broke a dinner date with me. I got to witness an Amazonian attack of misandry which literally involved men getting thrown into a building. I need her to come and reassure me that she isn't done with my entire gender."

Alfred considered. It had been the most that Bruce had said about what had happened. There was a lot that still was not clear to Alfred and, he suspected, he never would know the entire story. He had not been subtle in routing for the relationship between Bruce and Diana to work out because he thought she was good for him. Whatever had happened, he still felt that was true. However, he was probably going to have to do something to get the two hurt lovers to sit down together and move on.

_Perhaps the princess would leave a day early for a missed dinner date? _he thought.

"Of course, sir. I understand. If that will be all..."

"Yes Alfred. I guess I will go and show my face at the office for a while."

"Excellent, sir," Alfred said and left.

Although he wasn't sure what it was, Bruce was certainly that somewhere during that exchange, Alfred had started to work on a plan.

_Not good,_ Bruce thought and drank his coffee.

-------------------------------

Diana enjoyed the aerobics class. The class, all women, was diverse in age and shape of its participants but to the other women, the body sculpting class was a serious workout. To Diana, it was something different – she certainly had never used an exercise ball before – but it was not a heavy workout. The instructor, who had wondered about the Amazon when she walked in, soon realized she had found an ally. Diana would clap and cheer and count out loud – all of the things the other women were too tired and focused to do.

The instructor may have been happy, but by the end of the class, even Martha was getting a little tired of Diana, who had not only stayed energized the entire time but had not broken a sweat.

_This is why I never worked out with Clark_, she thought.

After the class, Diana told Martha to go ahead without her; she would jog back to the house. Martha agreed – figuring that a run of that length would be the only way to tire her out.

The phone was ringing when Martha walked into the house. She grabbed it.

"Hello?" she said slightly out of breath.

"Hello, I am looking for Princess Diana," said a very proper British accent. "Is she available?"

Martha paused. This was the first phone call Diana had gotten since arriving. It certainly didn't sound hostile.

"My name is Alfred Pennyworth. I am an employee of a friend of hers. I am calling on my employer's behalf."

Martha was very curious. She knew from personal experience that working that hard to be vague meant there was something to hide. Martha had spent most of her life covering up things about Clark and trying not to lie in the process. She knew how to be vague.

"Well, Mr. Pennyworth, she is not here right now. She went for a run."

"I see," he responded, clearly disappointed. Martha had no idea why she felt the need to help him get in touch with Diana, but she found herself wanting to.

"I can take a message. She shouldn't be gone too long," Martha said.

"No, that is quite all right. I wanted to extend to her an invitation to dinner with my employer tomorrow night."

"So, if I told her that Alfred Pennyworth invited her to dinner tomorrow night, she would know the who and where?"

"Thank you, madam. Yes, madam, she would. Tell her 7pm. Ask her please to call me during patrol if she will not be able to accept."

_Patrol?_ Martha thought, suddenly disappointed that Diana was running.

"Of course, I will see that she gets the message."

"Thank you. Good day, madam."

Diana returned about 30 minutes later, sweaty and smiling. Martha let her get a glass of water and get showered and changed before she relayed the message. She didn't know what response she was expecting, but it wasn't the one she got.

"Call during patrol?" Diana asked without emotion, working on a second glass of water.

"That's what he said. It was too odd for me to get it wrong."

Diana drank some water, considering what that meant.

"It's a surprise then," she muttered. "He doesn't want to see me, but Alfred wants him to see me."

"Diana, what is this about?" Martha asked, her material instincts making her feel protective.

Diana sat down next to Martha on the living room sofa. "When I was on the mission, I was there with a man I'm involved with. No one knows about it but we are." Diana waved her hand over that remark, clearly a sign that she didn't want to talk about it in more detail. "He has issues about meta abilities and when I got angry, I hurt some people using them and said some things and then left him there. I haven't heard from him since then. But calling during patrol means he isn't at home because Alfred doesn't want him to know about the dinner until it is too late. So, I don't know if he has forgiven me or not."

"What do you think?"

"I don't know. But the only way to find out is to go to dinner."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

_Now it's cold and we're scared/And we've both been shaken/Hey, look at us/Man, this doesn't need to be the end_: Rob Thomas

It was a bittersweet departure for both Diana and Martha the following afternoon. Diana had enjoyed herself immensely and would always credit her recovery to her time in Smallville. Martha understood why Clark treated the Amazon as a sister and had started to think of her as a daughter. Diana promised she would visit again and both women knew it was true – Diana would come again, although not as soon nor as often as either would want.

Diana went from the farm to the Watchtower. Superman was surprised to see her back a day early, but when J'onn told her that she seemed back to her old self, he dropped it. His mother had worked her magic.

Diana spent several hours writing her mission report. Not only was it overdue, but she considered it the final piece to putting the whole thing behind her. Once it was filed, she indulged in a very hard workout.

By the time she was showered and ready to head to the Manor, it was 6:30pm. She headed to the transport unit, figuring it was better to fidget with Alfred and a hot cup of tea than fidget alone.

-------------------------------

Before leaving for Wayne Enterprises that morning, Alfred had said that he would see Bruce for dinner. Usually, Alfred inquired if Bruce would be back for dinner. The difference was subtle but not quite subtle enough to keep the master detective from figuring out the game. Later in the day, Bruce briefly entertained the idea of calling Alfred to let him know that returning for dinner would be impossible but realized that Alfred's vengeance would be terrible. Besides, no matter how much he wished it was otherwise, he desperately wanted to see the woman Alfred had invited.

So, at 6:30pm, he turned off his computer and prepared to make his way back home. He would be a few minutes late, but he was all right with that.

-------------------------------

"I am sure he will be here at any moment, madam," Alfred said. Diana was sitting in an overstuffed chair in the den. It was probably her favorite chair in the entire house. As she expected, she had a hot cup of tea and actually, felt quite relaxed. It would take only a second for her to establish if there was any chance of patching things up with Bruce. If the answer was no, she could be back in her room in a matter of moments. Since Alfred seemed glad to see her, she thought there was a chance that everything would be all right.

"It is no problem Alfred," she said. I am sure between traffic and work responsibilities, he is lucky to get home before he needs to go on patrol."

"Indeed, madam," he said although the doubt was clear in his voice.

Alfred, who knew exactly what the sound was, reacted to the opening of the front door a moment before Diana.

"Alfred? Diana?" they heard Bruce call.

Diana couldn't be sure, but she thought she heard Alfred mutter "show off" before leaving the den to greet Bruce. Diana stood but stayed in the room, feeling much more comfortable with the idea of waiting for him to find her.

After a few minutes, Bruce walked into the den alone. Dressed in a black cashmere sweater and tan pants, he didn't look like the head of an industrial giant, but then again, Diana thought, perhaps the advantage of being the head of such a firm is that you don't have to dress the part.

"Diana," Bruce said smoothly, only barely entering the room, "it appears that Smallville treated you well."

"It did, thank you. But it is good to be back," she said. She had been wrong. The few seconds were up but she found herself unsure of where she stood.

"Is it?" he asked mildly.

"I filed my report this afternoon. I read yours first. You left out a lot of things."

He shrugged, a gesture that was more Bruce than Batman and it caught Diana off-guard. However, the silence that followed suggested that he was slowly shedding the playboy persona.

"Thank you for that," she added.

Again, silence.

"I'm sorry for the way I acted on Dratrayan. I shouldn't have let it get to me the way it did. Or, I shouldn't have gone at all. I still am not sure which. Both, probably," she said with a small smile.

"You shouldn't have been on the team," Bruce said matter-of-factly. Diana was about to respond but Alfred came in, stopping her in mid-thought.

"Dinner is ready. Would either of you care for wine with your meal?" Alfred asked.

"I think we both need it," Bruce said and followed Alfred out of the den. Diana followed behind the two men.

They walked in silence. If he didn't want to see her, Bruce would have told her and been that direct about it. She hadn't expected him to cover her with kisses and declarations of love but she had hoped for something more than what she had gotten. Especially since she wasn't entirely sure what that was.

Alfred sat them down in front of a lush green salad and poured them each a glass of white wine. Bruce sat at the head with Diana on his left. Behind Bruce's head, Alfred smiled at Diana which she appreciated. At least someone was making her feel comfortable.

"I think I could have been on the team," Diana said after they had eaten a bit in silence. "I just should have sent another member with you to that dinner. Fire wouldn't have worked – she would have given them fits but there were other options. But I guess you aren't the only one with issues."

He arched an eyebrow at the remark, but otherwise, let it go.

"I missed you," she said quietly. "I'm sorry I left you there. I was terrified I had killed those people and didn't handle it well."

"What if you had?"

"I don't know. I probably would have resigned from the League. And then, I don't know."

Bruce nodded. They ate a bit more, processing that thought. Alfred brought out dinner, lamb, and gave them each a glass of red wine. After a few minutes, Diana decided she was going to ask the question that had been on her mind since she arrived.

"Are you afraid of me now?" she asked quietly.

Bruce snorted. "What?" he asked in a stunned voice.

"You hate metapowers. So, I thought perhaps my losing control and using them in such an unacceptable way might scare you."

"I was scared _for_ you. I was never scared _of_ you. It's a big difference, Princess."

She smiled at him. "There is indeed."

"So, that's the second time you've had problems controlling your anger."

She was stunned. She didn't think anyone other than J'onn knew about the robbers on her day off.

"There are things about this place that are taxing," she said softly.

"Yes. You need to take time away. There is a reason why so many of us have a life outside the League. We need one to keep perspective. If all you do is bash villains eventually that is all you think there is."

"Like what?" she asked. Diana had left her home and joined the League. Once she had been banished, she latched onto the League as her new family and home. The few times she had tried to go out and learn more about the world, it had turned into a mission. Even her relationship with Bruce was linked to the League.

"I don't know. Do more of the charity work you enjoy. Travel more. Or, and I can't believe I am suggesting this, go visit Martha Kent."

"You're right."

He turned towards her and put his hand over hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I know," he said with a smile.

-------------------------------

After dinner, they went back to the den for coffee. The conversation was light. Diana told Smallville stories and Bruce talked a bit about some of the new projects at Wayne Enterprises. The tension was gone and the affection was back at the surface. Diana wasn't sure at what moment Bruce had let his anger go, but he had and she was grateful.

After several hours and a couple of cups of coffee, Bruce looked at the clock.

"I need to get ready for patrol," he said with a hint of regret in his voice.

"Of course," Diana said, standing up. "I probably ought to get back to the Watchtower anyway."

"Can you come back?" Bruce asked.

"When?"

"After patrol," he said, standing. He walked to where she was standing and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I can, if you are sure you want me to," she said, smiling.

He smiled back and leaned to kiss her. Before their lips touched, he whispered. "I missed you too."

The kiss was passionate and long. Diana knew that she would come back after his patrol.

The reunion late that night was tender and exactly what they both needed to put the past several days behind them.


End file.
